Living and Working in Norway Erik Jørgensen/Innovation Norway Johan Wildhagen/Innovation Norway Eli Skaug Syvertsen NAV EURES Norway Nils-Erik Bjørholt/Innovation Norway
NAV EURES Labour and Welfare Administration - Job Centre - National Insurance - Welfare office EURopean Employment Services - Advisors in 32 countries - Job market and job search - Living and working - Recruitment assistance www.nav.no www.eures.no/english
Norway Currency Norwegian kroner, NOK Constitutional monarchy, King Harald V Prime Minister Ms Erna Solberg Conservative government 1 = NOK 8,20
Characteristics -30 to +30 C Bright summers/midnight Sun Dark winters/polar Night Northern Lights (aurora borealis) Natural variety Outdoor culture High standard of living Extensive welfare system Safe working conditions
Geography Population 5,063,709 (Jan. 2013) 600,922 immigrants (12,2%) (Poland, Lithuania, Pakistan, Sweden, Irak, Somalia, Denmark and Germany) 19 counties Capital Oslo 626,953 inhabitants Trondheim 180,280 Biggest cities: Bergen 270,351 Stavanger 129,191 Kristiansand 84,476
Norway Length 1750 km 432 km at the widest, 6 km at the narrowest 25,148 kms of coastline 7th largest in Europe 16 persons per km2
Language Two official forms: Standard Norwegian (bokmål) New Norwegian (nynorsk) Regional dialects Close to Swedish and Danish Norwegians speak English well Most employers require Norwegian or a Scandinavian language Norwegian courses held in most towns Free language courses not offered, but is not expensive (sometimes the Red Cross offer free Norwegian courses) Several online courses in Norwegian is offered
Online Norwegian courses http://www.skapago.eu/en.html http://www.ntnu.edu/now http://www.campusonline.no/english http://www.innovativelanguage.com/learnnorwegian/online-course http://www.verbalplanet.com/learn-norwegian.asp http://www.learn-norwegian.net/
How to understand a Norwegian Flat structure Who is the boss? Conformity/Equality/No special treatment Enjoying space, keeping distance, privacy Not the most impulsive ones need time Cold lunches Rude? Dress code
Labour Market Statistics Unemployment: 2.6% (October -13); 69,564 persons (lowest in Rogaland with 1,9% and highest in Oslo and Finnmark with 3,4%) In October 14, 233 vacancies were advertised Another 15,000-20,000 jobs not advertised There is still a need for workforce in several sectors, but the need is less urgent than before.
SURPLUSES Norway has a surplus of: Economists, marketing Architects Office staff Unskilled workers
SHORTGES Companies and institutions need: Engineers (especially mechanical, structural, electro, automation, hydraulic, piping engineers) Pre-school educators Teachers (especially in science subjects and maths) Nurses (great demand) Medical doctors Clinical psychologists Pharmacists Bus drivers (in certain regions), taxi drivers Hair dressers Cooks and waiters
COMPANIES NEEDING ENGINEERS www.oilcareers.com http://offshore.no/international/ www.petro.no Aker Solutions (akersolutions.com) FMC Technologies (fmctechnologies.com) Statoil (www.statoil.com) National Oilwell Varco (www.nov.com) Kværner (www.kvaerner.com) Kongsberg Gruppen (www.kongsberg.com) Aibel (www.aibel.com) Fabricom (www.fabricom.no) Subsea7 (www.subsea7.com) www.nodeproject.no (business cluster 57 companies) Roxar (www.roxar.no)
Most needed engineers Petrolium engineers Subsea engineers Drilling engineers Piping engineers Mechanical engineers Hydraulic engineers Naval Architects Structural engineers Machine design engineers Electrical engineers Stress analysts Steel calculation Electronic and computer engineers Instrument engineers Automation engineers Mechatronics/robotics No demand for environmental engineers and chemical engineers Less demand for civil engineers with no experience with steel structures
Working Conditions Written contract 6 months probationary period Salary paid once a month Employer draws tax from your monthly pay 37,5 working hours per week Shift workers have 35,5 hours working week. Maximum 40 hours per week.
Working Conditions Holiday: 25 working days per year 30 days for employees over the age of 60 Holiday pay normally paid out in the month of June Holiday pay 12% of gross pay for trade union members 10,2% for non trade union members. Holiday pay is accumulated The working environment act. www.arbeidstilsynet.no (available in English)
Taxes If you work in Norway for a Norwegian employer, you pay income tax to Norway Average income tax is 28% (24.5%) The National Insurance contribution is 7.8%. Deductions! EU citizens are entitled to a deduction called standardfradrag in the two first years (10% or max NOK 40,000 per year) House mortgage or debts etc. increase your deductions Tax return form submitted every year in April
National Insurance I What is covered through the National Insurance? Sickness Benefit 100% pay first year 66% second year if still in active treatment Unemployment Benefit About 63% of pay for a maximum of 2 years Child birth benefit 12 months with 80% pay or 10 months, 100% pay Paternity leave 14 weeks
National Insurance II What is covered through the National Insurance? Old-age pension Retirement age in Norway is 67 years Disability benefit Free hospital treatment Free dental treatment for under-18s Free of charge schools and universities
National Insurance III What is covered through the National Insurance? Child benefit Ages 0 to 18: NOK 970 ( 120) per month Single-parent benefits Cash benefit Kontantstøtte Ages 1 to 2 years: From 13 months to 18 months, NOK 5000 per month (617 euro) From 19 months to 23 months, NOK 3303 per month (408 euro) You have to apply for these benefits at NAV.
COSTS Food (except meat) and cloths are not so expensive. Alcohol and cigarettes are very expensive. Eating out in a restaurant is also expensive. One beer will cost about 8,50 euro and a glass of wine will cost about 10 euro in a pub/restaurant. One coffee will cost about 3 euro Cars are very expensive. Petrol is also expensive, despite the fact that Norway is an oil producing country. The prices will vary from day to day. On average it costs about 1,85 euro per liter. It is expensive to visit Norway as a tourist.
What do you get for your wages? Prices for foodstuffs are on average 62% higher in Norway compared with the average prices in EU-countries. Milk, cheese, eggs and meat are 65% more expensive in Norway compared with the average in Europe. Fish and other seafood are not so expensive. 6 hours work = 1 week s supply of food How Norwegians spend their salary: housing, electric etc. 27% public transport, car 20% food & household goods 18% culture, leisure 12% UNDP:Norway highest score for income, duration of life, and living conditions.
Average Prices NOK EUR Bread, 750 g 28 3,45 Milk, 1l 18 2,20 Butter, 250 g 17 2,60 Cheese, 1 kg 90 11 Beer, 0,33 l 19 2,35 Coffee, 250 g 20 2,50 Potatoes, 1 kg 14 1,70 Coca Cola, 1,5 l 23 2,80 Beef, 1 kg 200 225 27,80 Sausage, 1 kg 100 12,35 Salmon, 1 kg 85 10,50 Fresh Shrimps, 1 kg 129 16 NOK EUR Big Mac menu, large 90 11 CD 170 21 Cinema ticket 90 11 Newspaper 20 2,45 Magazine 59 7,38 Chocolate, Mars 12,50 1,56 Hair cut, women 450 56,25 Hair cut, men 400 50 Bus ticket, Oslo 25 3,13 Cigarettes, 1 pack 90 11
Accommodation - Most Norwegian people own their own house. About 90% of couples living together own their own house/apartment. About 67% of young couples and single parents own their own house/apartment. - The average rent for a house/apartment is NOK 6000 ( 740) per month. Oslo and Stavanger are more expensive. - You can get your own house with a garden for about NOK 2,000,000 to 3,500,000 ( 247,000-432,000). Prices vary depending on location and size. Exception Oslo and Stavanger.
Homes Homes on the Internet www.finn.no www.net.no/boligpriser www.eiendomsnett.no www.bolignorge.no www.meglernett.no www.bolignett.no www.zett.no www.ssb.no (National statistics bureau)
Homes
Salaries The average wage in Norway is among the highest in Europe Average monthly salary NOK 36,700 ( 4530) The 10% best paid average NOK 71,400 ( 8814) per month The 10% least paid average NOK 20,600( 2543) per month The average salary in the oil and gas sector is NOK 59,700 (7370) per month No minimum salaries, but collective agreements by sector Wage negotiations once a year (in April-May) between the trade unions and the Norwegian Employers Confederation
Where to find jobs www.nav.no (Norwegian) www.nav.no/english (jobs posted in English) www.finnjobb.no www.stillinger.no www.indeed.com NAV Service Centre Phone: +47 800 33 166 (Mon-Fri 08:00-18:00) Contact the EURES Adviser in your area
Work/Residence permits Norway is not a member of the European Union, but a member of the European Economic Area (EEA). All EU/EEA citizens have the right to take up work in Norway Portuguese citizens do not need a work permit and can begin work the day they arrive in Norway
Work/Residence permits Registration required within 3 months at the local police station, or as soon as you have received a job contract. This is a formality You can stay in Norway for 6 months as a jobseeker, but have to register with the police after 3 months. When you have a jobcontract you must register at https://selfservice.udi.no/, print out and bring it with you to the local police staion or to SUA (www.sua.no). Also bring: ID-card/passport A certificate of residence (lease) Job contract
Arriving in Norway Police (Politiet) www.politi.no Tax Office/ National Registry www.skatteetaten.no Bank NAV www.nav.no Child benefit Family doctor Call centre +47 810 33 810 SUA (www.sua.no) Service Centre for foreign workers (Oslo and Stavanger)
Web sites of interest www.euresenglish.no Portal - living and working in Norway www.nav.no Job data base, national insurance www.udi.no Directorate of Immigration www.skatteetaten.no Tax office www.arbeidstilsynet.no Labour Inspection Authority www.toll.no Customs www.nokut.no The Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education www.sak.no The Norwegian Registration Authority for Health Personnel
Unions for engineers NITO www.nito.no 72,000 members Tekna www.tekna.no 61,000 members Legal assistance and also private legal advice Advice regrading salary negotiations Professional courses and conferences Individual career coaching Support during the job search process Useful reports, tools and personal follow up Bank and insurance offers Newsletters and magazines Tax deductable membership fees
NORTHERN NORWAY
NORWAY - NATURE
WINTER IN NORWAY
CONTACT CVs and requests can be sent to eures@nav.no (All EURES advisers in Norway will then have access to your CV) Eli Skaug Syvertsen eli.skaug.syvertsen@nav.no
Sejam bem-vindos! Erik Jørgensen/Innovation Norway